The Vampire Gift 6: Secrets of Hope

by E. M. Knight

  “And how do you know so much?” I ask. “What makes you so certain?”

  “I studied magic, remember!” he exclaims. “But all I’ve read were female accounts. I thought I would use it the same way—but nothing could be further from what it actually is.”

  “And that is?” I ask.

  “The male side is chaotic,” Phillip tells me. “The currents are constantly raging. I channel the smallest sliver, and that’s enough for it to try to destroy me. If I were not a vampire,” he scoffs, “even a touch of the Elemental Forces would leave me dead.”

  I look at him skeptically. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

  “Is the oath you bound me to not enough?”

  “You could be twisting your words.”

  “Eleira.” He spreads his hands. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Tell me what you know of the female side, then,” I challenge. “And I will consider it against what I do.”

  He cracks a small smile. “Certainly. You feel the currents. All four. Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Correct?”

  “Yes,” I say, but think, He doesn’t know about the fifth one.

  “You feel them constantly in the air, in your surroundings. And when you open your mind to them, they flow right through you, like water down a slope. There is no resistance in them against being channeled. Isn’t that so?”

  “There’s resistance when I try to shape them into spells,” I say.

  He sniffs. “Yes. I know. That is the difficulty for you, isn’t it? That is the hardest part of being a witch. The currents are strong, and you have to shape them into the proper path.

  “But they do not fight you. Do they? What you do is akin to changing the shape of a riverbed to direct the flow of water. You move the banks, and there is some difficulty with that, but the actual Forces do not put up a fight. Correct?”

  “...Yes,” I murmur.

  “Well then, I envy you,” he says. “I envy all female witches, because there is art, there is beauty, to what you do. It is entirely different as a man.”

  “Tell me.”

  “The Forces fight me from the very start,” he says. “They are like wriggling snakes, together in a basket. I have to plunge my hand in and hope I don’t get bit. I have to yank the Forces out, and they fight me all the way. They do not wish to be shaped by my hands. At any moment, the snake can whip back and sink its teeth into me. I wrestle with it, even with the smallest weave, because should my concentration fail, should my will not be iron, it will mean my death.”

  “So you coerce the Elemental Forces to do your will,” I say. “What then? How do you shape the spells?”

  “Not without putting up one hell of a fight. There is no riverbank for men. We—I—have to shape the weaves with the Elements themselves. Imagine a falling spring of water. Funneled from the corner of a roof under the heaviest rain. Now imagine trying to give it shape using no more than your bare hands. Impossible, right? Well, male magic is similar. I have to shape the weaves with smaller strains of the very Forces themselves. It’s like a cocoon, an enclosure, the rubber casing around a wire, and it fights me the entire way.”

  “And you think that’s because the Forces are different?” I ask. “And not because you are simply less skilled?”

  He laughs. “They are different. Trust me on that. Oh, they might have similar underlying properties, the Air, Fire, Water, and so on, but it is a very different part of the current that I am channeling than you are.”

  “You said we can work together. How?”

  “I assume you mean as witch and warlock, and not Queen and subject,” he says. “It’s simple, really. We will learn to put both aspects of the Forces together. A synergy between them exists. It must. And, together, we will be able to do things witches in the past have never dreamt of. Not even with the strongest torrials to augment their strengths!”

  “Sounds lovely,” I deadpan. “But fantastical. You have no proof that such collaboration can work.”

  “No, but we have unlimited time to try,” Phillip says. “Assuming, that is, that you were successful with the wards. Were you?”

  I bristle. “Of course!”

  “You’re certain your spell worked? You know as fact that The Haven is protected again?”

  “Come outside with me,” I say, “and we will see.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Phillip

  The Haven

  I follow Eleira out of the stronghold, cautiously optimistic that my appeal to her struck the right chords.

  The biggest risk, of course, was telling Eleira the truth about Liana. I half-expected Raul to devolve into a rage and attack. If that had happened, I would not have dared use my magic—not with our new Queen looking on—and so it would have been a close fight.

  But instead, he lamely admitted to it and then ran off.

  Sad. I would have hoped for more fight form my brother.

  I can’t help but notice his pervasive nice guy act is turning Eleira off.

  He’s an idiot for thinking it’s somehow the right way to go. I know his intent, and that, of course, is to appeal to Eleira’s humanity and make himself appear more like her.

  But that is so misguided, it disgusts me. No strong woman wants a weak, simpering man. Lesser women simply tolerate them because they do not have better prospects.

  But Eleira is no lesser woman. Not at all.

  I smile to myself as I leer at her legs. Raul doesn’t know how close he is to losing her.

  A new thought occurs to me.

  I can steal his spot, take his woman, and make her beholden to me.

  I’ve never considered the possibility before, but it’s staring me straight in the face.

  Already we have more in common, simply by virtue of being able to use magic.

  We reach the exit. Eleira turns around. I jerk my eyes up.

  The look that crosses her face tells me she knows exactly where I was looking.

  “Did you really kill the guard?” she asks.

  I shrug. “I wounded him. Enough so that he could not follow me. I did not see him die, no, but unless someone found and saved him that’s probably a safe assumption to make.”

  “If he’s dead,” she says. “You will be held accountable.”

  And then she throws open the doors.

  My eyes widen as I see the outside.

  In the air, high above The Haven, is a shimmering, very thin layer of Air. I don’t know if all can see it, or only me, due to my magical abilities. Beyond it are the clouds, the stars, the moon. A wind from the outside whips across it and causes fine ripples to move through the film.

  Eleira smiles. “So it worked,” she says, half to herself.

  She starts striding fast in the direction of the village. It is not the sight of the barrier that astounds me.

  It is the utter and complete feeling of peace and isolation that grasps the entire Haven.

  I know, intuitively, somehow, that the shield will protect us from anything on the other side.

  Soon, I hear the sounds of a gathering. We emerge from the path, and I see a sight I can hardly believe.

  The Incolam are working together with the Elite to repair the damaged village. Past them, near the giant trees housing our vampire apartments, a few of the Royal Court members are gathered in an animated, passionate discussion.

  The first vampire to see us yells. Everyone else turns and looks.

  They spot their Queen and cheer.

  Eleira smiles, nods, and gestures for them to return to work.

  A moment after, Felix runs over.

  He casts a suspicious glare at me but says nothing directly to my face.

  Instead, he addresses Eleira.

  “You did it,” he beams. “As soon as Raul took you away, the vampires nearly revolted. They thought the spell had backfired, and so many of them were hurt.”

  My ears perk up.

  “Hurt? I did not intend to hurt them!” Eleira exclaims.

&n
bsp; “It’s fine. They understand it was a necessary part of what you did.” He smiles grandly. “But now the wards are back, and we can all breathe again.”

  “I did not think the light would do them any damage,” she mutters. “I made sure it was cast only so they would see, not with any of the UV rays.”

  “Forget it. It doesn’t matter,” Felix tells her. He frowns. “Where’s Raul?”

  Eleira hesitates, just for a split second, but that’s enough time for me to step in.

  “My brother is currently occupied,” I say. “He might join us again, or he might not. It’s hard to tell.”

  Felix shifts his attention to me. “And what are you doing out,” he asks, “given the crimes you have committed?”

  “Felix, it’s fine,” Eleira says.

  I blink, surprised by how quickly she came to my defense.

  Then I grin savagely.

  “If you say so,” Felix mutters. He takes her arm and pulls her close. “Are you sure you’re okay being left alone with him?”

  “I’ve managed myself against tougher adversaries,” she says.

  Felix grunts. “That much is true,” he admits.

  “Go, go, don’t worry about me,” she says. “Join the others. This is a night for celebration. Not concern.”

  He lowers his voice, steps closer, and asks the Queen, “Have you recovered in full?”

  “The spell just took more out of me than I expected,” she tells him. “I’m good.”

  He nods. “I wanted to be sure.”

  He starts turning away.

  “Wait,” Eleira says. “Some of the Elite over there. They look like they are arguing. What about?”

  Felix sighs. “One of them suggested,” he says, “that we welcome the Incolam into the treetops. We are all one coven, he says. We should not be segregated arbitrarily.”

  “It’s not arbitrary!” I sneer. Eleira gives me a look. “I’m sorry, Eleira, but it’s not. Strength is what counts for being a vampire. Welcoming the Incolam into the apartments would make a mockery of all our rules and traditions.”

  “Sometimes traditions become antiquated,” Eleira says. “Felix? What do you think?”

  “I hate to say it, but I agree with Phillip. Boundaries need to be maintained. This isn’t a college campus where indiscrimination is the highest virtue.”

  “Well said,” I note.

  The other vampire ignores me.

  “I’ll put an end to it,” Eleira says, and strides right up to the group.

  I share a look with Felix, then run to catch up. The older vampire doesn’t trust me, that much is obvious, so he follows closely on my heels.

  Eleira strolls into their midst. The arguments stop the moment she joins them.

  “My Queen,” one of the Elite says. “We are grateful to you for what you did. You have all our gratitude and loyalty.”

  She waves the kind words away impatiently. “Felix says some of you want to bring the Incolam into the treetop apartments. Is that right?”

  From the middle of the group steps forward a shorter vampire. He bows his head and addresses Eleira.

  “Yes,” he says. “You’ve shown us that we are all one. Why discriminate against the weaker of our kind? We are all members of The Haven, all creatures of the night, all have sworn loyalty to you. By continuing with the tradition, you risk segregation. Now, tonight, when all the vampires are banded together, is the best time to break with that and build something better.”

  Other vampires in the group start to protest, but Eleira silences them with an upraised hand. “You think welcoming the Incolam into the treetops, which have always been reserved for those stronger, for the Elite, will somehow be better?”

  I know the feeling makes no sense, but a bit of pride rises up in me upon hearing Eleira say those words.

  “Of course, it will be better,” the short vampire answers. “We will have diversity of thought, of opinion. Everybody’s voice will be heard. There won’t be any of that festering resentment that dwells in the Incolam for the Elite.”

  She gives him a sad smile. “There won’t be anything to aspire to, in that case,” she says. “You won’t be elevating the Incolam to a higher level. You will be bringing the Elite down. Strength and beauty and truth must always be protected and admired. The Elite represent the culmination of that. By letting the Incolam in, indiscriminately, you are devaluing everything in The Haven that is better.”

  The shorter vampire starts to sputter, but Eleira continues on.

  “There won’t be a breakdown of standards while I am Queen. Any of the Incolam who wish to join the Elite must do so by reaching the necessary strength. That’s the way it’s always been, and that’s the way it always will be. I am not letting this coven devolve, as Felix said, into some bastardized variation of a college campus. Together with those ridiculous safe spaces and all. No. The Incolam belong on the ground, and that is good enough for them.” She tilts her chin up. “If any of them have a problem with it, they can take it up with me.”

  I watch as the smaller vampire shrinks further and further back over the course of Eleira’s speech.

  “I don’t want to hear any more of it,” she finishes. “There is very important work to do.” She addresses the others of the Elite. “We need to get the electricity back up, for one. Now that we have the freedom of time to do it. Do any of you know how it was run? Felix?”

  “It was not my area of expertise, unfortunately,” he says.

  “It was mine,” I announce, stepping forward grandly. “I was the one who designed the generator beneath the ground. I know how it runs, and I alone know how to start it.”

  Eleira looks at Felix for confirmation. “Is that true?”

  The other vampire looks me over disapprovingly… then nods.

  “It was always the Royal Family’s domain,” he says. “James was never interested in such things. Raul, Raul, I don’t know, but I am certain Phillip was.”

  “Together with Morgan,” I say. “We built the generator to run off magic.”

  “Then you will take me there immediately,” Eleira says. “I want to have the whole system up before daybreak.”

  I give a minuscule bow. “As you command.”

  Chapter Forty

  Raul

  The stronghold

  I break into the secret passageway that is supposed to be always guarded, seal the entrance shut behind me, and look upon the horrible portraits of all the vampires whose souls Mother ripped from their bodies.

  I don’t know what I’m doing here, in the chamber of death, this chamber of misery. Maybe I’m here to feel their pain, to remind myself that no matter what happens, I am not as lost as they are.

  But lately, dammit, this whole time, I’ve been slipping deeper and deeper into the abyss from which there is no escape.

  Eleira is… she’s lost to me. Maybe the connection is not all the way torn just yet. But it’s hanging on by a single thread, and I can see the writing on the wall.

  Maybe she and I are not as compatible as I first thought. As I’d always hoped. Maybe my brothers are right, and I am only searching for a replacement, a replica, of Liana.

  Eleira, as she grows more and more into herself, is proving to be almost the polar opposite of my first love.

  How can I be so stupid? How can I be so blind? Eleira was never going to be like Liana, no matter how much I willed it so. Eleira is free-spirited, she is independent, she is stronger than I could have ever expected her to become.

  Expected… or wanted.

  What if whatever chemistry she and I first had was just an illusion? She was a little girl ripped out of her former life. I was the one who gave her protection. But when that role was no longer necessary, I did not know who—or what—to become.

  And now, thanks to Phillip’s deceit, she knows exactly what happened to Liana in the end.

  I roar and tear one of the empty portraits from the wall. I throw it down. I’m ready to rip the canvas to shreds, wh
en a flicker of movement in the back of the painting stops me cold.

  Suddenly a great shame overwhelms me. Each of these canvases houses a soul. If I destroy it, that soul would be annihilated. It would never find the peace of a normal death.

  Very slowly, very deliberately, I pick the painting up and hang it back on the wall. My body’s trembling.

  How I hate who I’ve become.

  What is it with me? Usually, I take solace in having a purpose. My steps in life always led me somewhere… even if it was a place I did not want to go.

  But now, it feels as if I’m stuck in quicksand, incapable of freeing myself or finding a way out.

  I walk to the center of the room. I take a deep breath. I am becoming someone I never wanted to be.

  I’m becoming spiteful and angry, and I see those things consume me from the inside.

  I am supposed to be Prince. Yet everything is tangled. Eleira is now Queen. Mother intended for me to marry the girl of prophecy. But Mother is dead, and the whole thing has changed.

  Why can I never seem to be able to help Eleira in the way she needs to be helped?

  I knew about the stars. Hell, I studied the damn constellations! But none of them ever told me what to do after the girl of prophecy was brought to us.

  I close my eyes, and, without willing it, see Liana’s face appear from out the darkness.

  I jolt out of it, heart racing. My mind is playing tricks on me. Just to be sure, I tug on the cuff of my pants and examine my leg.

  The skin where the wound had been is pristine. There is no trace of any scar on the surface.

  So, I cannot use that as an excuse for my behavior.

  I want to help Eleira. I want to be her man. Already, she’s confided so much in me.

  But what have I given her? Realistically, truly, how much have I reciprocated?

  Not at all, even by the most generous accounts.